


The Devil's Pet

by ridingthemagic2arpet



Series: The Oliver/Felicity AU World [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Cute, F/M, FELICIty is a kitten, Fluffy, Kitten AU, and, because she can't transform at will, but not really, kind of a werecat?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22891546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ridingthemagic2arpet/pseuds/ridingthemagic2arpet
Summary: Oliver Queen (a.k.a. the Arrow - not that there's anyone but his bodyguard and sister's boyfriend who knows) finds a clawing kitten - and it adopts him more than he does it.— this is something that will help me get over my writers block concerning We Held On So Tight —
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Series: The Oliver/Felicity AU World [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1492292
Comments: 96
Kudos: 199





	1. Superstitious

\--><\--

Oliver Queen had never seen himself as the type to get a pet - he just wasn't into the whole slobbering dog and clawing kitten or the forever reproducing rabbit. Even before he had been shipwrecked and stranded on Lian Yu, the idea of having something to take care of had never been very appealing to him (although, if he were being honest it was because he could barely take care of himself when it mattered). _Ollie_ Queen didn't like the concept of responsibility. Of course, one might argue that he get some fish as you really only had to make sure they were regularly fed. However, he had been debating with himself - and cleaning that tank? He had no time for that - especially when there were lines upon lines of (hot!) women waiting on every corner to roll over in the sheets with him. He didn't need a dog to get exercise, the sex he had on a regular basis was enough to make his staminca skyrocket, innuendo most definitely intended. 

But that was Ollie. 

Oliver - Oliver didn't want a pet for more practical reasons. For one, he was so severely out of touch with the basic concept of touch. Touch was an important factor when maintaining a firm relationship with your pet, and the sad fact that he would probably end up judo flipping someone if they were to touch him without his acknowledgment wouldn't fare well when his cat decided to sprawl over his face while he slept. There was also the more rudimentary idea that Oliver was the freaking vigilante.

When he was out in the day running Queen Consolidated and then scaling buildings in the Glades at night, when would he have the time for a pet? And one may argue that - _Oliver, you can just take your huge sixty - five pound golden retriever out for a run everytime you need to some recon!_

Which might seem sensible until Oliver Queen shows up the next day with the same exact dog running circles around the dog parks.

And besides, he still doesn't want fish (for another lifetime at least - _the island really did ruin something as basic as a food group for him_ ). And rabbits haven't changed much in the fact that they're able to replicate faster than the blonde billionare can fire one of his custom made arrows. And he really doesn't have the patience to take care of the spawn and the furry tails - _and the hopping._

Oliver shivers just thinking about it. No, no. Rabbits won't do. Their tendency to hop all over the place is an uncomfortable thought for him. Their eyes are too souless and emotionless for his liking - a murder could have been committed right in front of them, and they would just continue chewing on their carrots. 

So rabbits aside, he manages to thorougly surprise himself while he's on patrol; he can hear the light scratching from a dank and dark alleyway, the only thing illuminating it in the slightest is the flickering streelight overhead. Still - it's enough that with his trained eye, Oliver can pinpoint that the sound is coming from an overturned cardboard box that's frayed where the rain has already soaked through. 

When the box moves minisculely to the left, Oliver crouches carefully besides it, bow ready in hand. He pushed it over and nearly falls flat on his ass when a calico kitten flies straight at him - claws and fangs bared like it's been gearing up for a fight for quite some time. And thank god for kevlar - because the cat's sharp claws rake straight down the leathers on his arm, and the kevlar is the only thing stopping it from tearing through his skin.

"Whoa", Oliver mutters mainly to himself as he balances himself. The creature is sopping wet - and dirty; and it's shivering so noticabely that he think that it's going to get hypothermia. The kitten _meows_ pitifully when it really stops fighting to get a good look at him. And then it kind of... mellows out and blinks up at him, it's head tilting to the side, almost as if to ask; _Well? What now, you big lug?_

He really has no idea how the cat manages to pull off a sarcastic expression when it looks drowned and just so tiny for all the attitude it's radiating. Oliver crouches down patiently as it slowly inches it's way to his cupped hands. He would scoop it up but he doesn't want to scare it. Once it's in his hands, he tucks it into the little breast pocket that's adorning his black inside shirt underneath the suit. The kitten can poke it's head out the top of his neckline if it really wants to, but the blonde doubts that it will - if the way it's shivering even when it's pressed up against his furnace of a body is any indication. 

The vigilante changes course for the Foundry instead of continuing with patrol. It's been relatively quiet and besides, he needs to get the devil's spawn wiggling around in his pocket to a warmer location. What if the news anchor saw him now? _The big bad Arrow was nursing a witch's pet back to health - what a standup guy._

"You're going to cost me my reputation", Oliver whispers to the cat as it continues to squirm - occasionally hooking it's claws in a little too deep making him wince.

\--><\--

Oliver doesn't even bother to change out of his suit when he begins to run the water in the skin, pulling the chain to clog the drain. He makes the water warm and places his generic shampoo (he can't have the thugs on the street noticing his smell after all) on the marble sink. The blue eyed man gently prys the kitten from where it's been resting in his shirt and he knows he's in for it when the calico hasn't even opened it's eyes when he's placed it in the water. He winces when a loud hiss erupts from the abnormally cute creature and it flails helplessly in the running water.

"Don't hiss", He finds himself reprimanding. "You're super dirty - and super cold. We don't want you catching hypothermia, do we?" And as if the kitten understands him and what hypothermia is, it tones down it's snarls. Oliver peels off his leather gloves and unzips his jacket so he can roll up his sleeves. Pouring a generous amount of the clear substance in his hand, he lathers the kitten's fur gently and watches as it preens in his hands.

He would never admit it but he smiles so widely when it purrs in content that he knows that his teeth were showing - and he can't remember the last time _that's_ happened. The blonde massages the shampoo into the animal's fur and then washes it out, letting it soak in the warm water for a few moments before he's wrapping it in a fuzzy towel. The towel swallows the small creature so completely that Oliver thinks that his stone cold heart might just start to thump painfully from how adorable this whole experience has been. 

But that's when he notices it. There's a gold collar wrapped around it's neck (he didn't even know that they made collars so small), and he can just make out the two words engraved into the gold. It reads; _Felicity Smoak_ , and Oliver hmphs when he sees it.

"Felicity, huh? That's a long name for something so small". The calico makes a half - assed attempt to swipe at him, and not for the first time, Oliver wonders if this cat can understand what he's saying. Maybe he's just losing his marbles - there's no way this cat can understand what he's saying.

"I don't speak _meow_ , and you don't speak English", Oliver mutters to himself in reassurance. And then he realizes how insanely absurd he sounds - he's literally confirming with himself that this feline species cannot communicate with him. The calico licks his hand playfully, and he turns to look at it. There's a glint in it's eyes and for someone reason - he can't stop the feeling that this kitten would be calling him a dumbass if it could speak. 

Huffing at his own stupidity, the Queen heir bundles the kitten into his arms and strips the rest of his suit, quickly changing into a pair of sweatpants and a white t - shirt. "Are you hungry?" He asks it, wondering if he has anything that would be considered appropiate for feline consumption down here. 

And as expected, the cat doesn't respond, only looks at him with a penetrating gaze - _and really, something so small doesn't have the right to be so judgmental._ He can see it silently telling him off for every bad choice he's ever made. "Oh stop looking at me like that", Oliver snaps. "You've only known me for an hour. You can't already have an opinion on me". The calico tilts it's head at him questioningly - and Oliver is internally doing the same thing at himself. 

If Diggle and Roy could see him now, they'd be shipping him off to the nearest mental ward. Rustling through the cabinents, he finds a bowl and a canned tuna. The Queen heir fills the bowl with water and places the tuna in front of Felicity, watching as it hungrily laps at the water and then scarfs down the fish. It's good to know that there's someone in the Foundry that can truly appreciate seafood. Oliver could go a lifetime without it and it would still be too soon.

As the creature eats, Oliver tells Felicity about himself. "I'm Oliver Queen. I know it's weird that you can't speak to me but I'm telling you about myself - but I'd like to believe that if I could understand your series of hisses and meows, you'd be introducing yourself as well. As you know, I'm kind of a big deal around Starling. You see, I'm the Arrow and I hunt down criminals", He says as he strokes between Felicity's ears. "I know it doesn't seem like it sometimes but I do have emotions. Tomorrow, you're going to meet my partners; Diggle and Roy. Roy is a bit of a hard ass", Oliver warns her. "He's super stubborn and he always wears that one red hoodie, and he's got a criminal record - but then again, who doesn't?"

Felicity stares at him through large eyes as he looks at her. "Well I guess you don't", He says playfully. "Diggle is like my brother. He's ex - military you know. You'll like him".

Maybe his inner turmoil was apparent on his face, or maybe cats really did have some sort of sixth sense. Oliver didn’t stop the calico though, when it nuzzled up to his hand, and licked the barest strip of his wrist.   
“I brought Digg in, and there are times when I regret it. He has a high sense of morality, you know. I don’t. And I think that sometimes we operate in such a gray area that it chips away at him”. Oliver shakes his head bitterly. “He is a soldier though, and he was taught that he should never leave a man behind. He’s stuck to that mantra, or else I would have let him go ages ago. I’m not a good guy, Felicity”. When the cat only stares at him, Oliver sighs. “Since you’re gonna be hanging with me, thought you should know”.  
Felicity stretches her throat languidly and stretches out over Oliver’s legs, and he can feel her soft fur brushing over him. Huffing as she arches into his hand for another round of massages, he picks up her up gently and carries her to his cot.   
“You’re spoilt”, Oliver grumbles. “I should buy you a cat bed”. As if mocking him, Felicity only sinks her claws into his pillow, and curls her tail around herself like she’s settling in for the night. Her brown, black, and stark white fur brushed against his cheek when he too, laid his head on the pillow.   
Oliver pulled the makeshift covers that had been stitched for him by Raisa over his long form, and turned on his left to face the calico. With the faint hum of his archaic computers filling the background noise, he nestled in. And he could have swore that as he closed his eyes and sleep overtook him, the calico in front of him winked.   
And maybe - maybe it was just his imagination, maybe it was just a trick of the light - but her eyes turned a startling bright blue. And then it was gone.   
—><—


	2. Sharp Claws Make For Bad Introductions

—><—  
It was super inconvenient when no one knew that Felicity Smoak had unwillingly been transformed into a furry feline about 7 months ago, give or take a few weeks. The last thing that she remembered was seeing that crooked smile that more often invoked shivers down her spine (and not in the good way) before completely passing out and ending up in one of Starling’s many suspicious and dark alleyways. There was a little golden collar with her name embossed in the center hung securely around her neck - which taunted her with every passing day. When people saw it, they passed her off as a runaway and didn’t pick her up - if the onlookers cared to even give her a second glance.

No, no they wouldn’t. The only people who passed by in the creepy and slightly illuminated corners were those who made it creepy, like the murderers, and the rapist, and the muggers. If on occasion anyone came by wearing a nicely tailored suit, they’d be on the phone and barely look in her direction.

It was exhausting.

And in a lot of ways, it wasn’t so different for how life was for human Felicity.

Which was sad to think about, but not any less true. Felicity Smoak - despite all her bright colors and strange quirks - was overshadowed in every possible way. For starters, despite being the absolute smartest in her field, she was always put in a corner - more often than not by a decidedly male superior who thought that just because she worked under him meant that she didn’t deserve credit for the acts of genius she belted out almost regularly. And if it wasn’t where her intelligence were concerned, it was her beauty. 

Felicity never thought of herself as attractive or unattractive per say, she was pretty average in the grand scheme of things. But she knew that if it came down to it, no one would choose her to be their partner (romantically or otherwise). Not that she really minded - she had told herself a long time ago that she didn’t need the approval of a man. If her father had already let her down, she didn’t need a boyfriend to inevitably do the same. 

But regardless of _her_ opinion on the professional and personal relationships that she could (should) have, life still got a little lonely, even when her two best friends, Sherlock and Watson (they were adorable super computers that she had loved and adored ever since she had been old enough to walk) were constantly by her side. Not that she would ever admit it, but she craved human contact - which sounded extremely pathetic (even in her own subconscious). Being eccentric and different had landed her a one way ticket to loner town.

And so as Felicity kitten stood straying around for food, she met her knight in shining armor (although that could technically be counted as wrong considering the more accurate term would have been ‘vigilante in green leather’). The Arrow had crept up on her, his hand poised cautiously on his quiver, his wrist pulled taut against his terribly ancient bow ( _really_ , given the chance she could upgrade his bow to levels unseen). So, despite her less than graceful introduction, she had grown to care for the vigilante. 

Felicity would have been less surprised if the Arrow had ended up being her poor excuse of a father. But no - it had been Oliver - _my - eyes - are - a - beautiful - blue - and - I - constantly - brood_ \- Queen.The Oliver Queen who had just washed up from his time marooned on a desolate island two years ago. And in all fairness, an experience like that could definitely change a man - but… it was like an overload of hotness and shock and did she mention hotness? - was coming at her from all angles. 

When the Arrow had cuddled her into his broad chest, she had purred in delight. He had fed her and looked after her and sheltered her and cared when no one else had stopped to - and she would always be grateful for that. 

However - she literally could not stand it when he talked so terribly about himself (granted she had only stayed with him one night). He had called himself immoral and unethical and it was just so wrong to apply those descriptors to him when she only saw him as a self sacrificing - kitten rescuer. But she had snuggled up against his heater like body and lulled into a deep sleep.

—><—

Oliver was usually more aware of his surroundings but clearly the kitten sprawled over his face was clouding his survival instincts. In fact, he was so unaware that he only woke up when Diggle had poked him awake, a bemused expression overtaking his features.

And he was careful not to wake the slumbering fuzzball who had decided that his face was more comfortable than the actual pillow. The two men stared at each other for a moment, Oliver silently daring him to make a joke. Diggle crossed his arms, before motioning with his pointer finger. “Hey, man. You got a little something over… there”, He pointed at his own upper lip. 

Oliver huffed irritably before saying; “Don’t wake Felicity up”.

“Felicity? That’s a long name”.

He shrugged as softly as he could. “I didn’t pick it. It was on her collar”.

“Collar? Do you plan on finding her owner?”

“If they had really wanted her then they wouldn’t have left her on the streets to fend for herself”, Oliver snapped. “We’re friends now”. Diggle didn’t say anything else - then. The boy could get territorial when he wanted to. Just then, Felicity’s ears pricked up and she stretched out a paw, lightly batting Oliver’s sandy scruff. Her left eye fluttered open slowly, and then her right before she _meowed_ softly, nudging Oliver’s chin playfully.

“Good morning”, Oliver said and if Diggle didn’t know any better, he might have said it sounded serene and soft. Felicity stared at him unblinking, her whiskers twitching. “My partner, Diggle is here, if you want to say hello”. 

It was uncanny how Felicity immediately leaped off of Oliver and turned around to greet him - as if she had known what Oliver was saying. The kitten weaved a figure eight around his ankles, and nuzzled up to him, a loud purr escaping her.

“Cute”, Diggle couldn’t help but deadpan. “Your cat seems just as spoilt as you, man”. And really - it was hard to tell who hissed first, Oliver or Felicity. Like owner like pet, he guessed. 

And the kitten in question - only accidentally of course - dug her sharp claws into the base of Diggle’s foot and scratched. 

“Ow, what the hell? Your cat is demonic”, He glared menacingly down at her, and she only licked her claws clean. Oliver stifled a laugh. Felicity sauntered away with an air of attitude that was fit for a Queen woman (and well, Oliver was thinking of keeping her). 

“You shouldn’t insult her. She’s highly intelligent”, Oliver remarked when the feline jumped back on the cot and preened under his hand. 

“Your cat acts as human as you do”, The ex military man teased. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she could understand us”. At that, Felicity pricked up noticeably and began pawing at Diggle. Her eyes were alert and she made loud noises of agitation. Oliver looked her up and down skeptically. He had been willing to pass it off but at the same time, he wasn’t the only one who had noticed it. 

But then.... there was still no way. He had seen a lot of things on the island and surprisingly, shape shifting felines had not been one of them. And besides, he had meta friends down in Central City. 

Barry and Co. were always quick (pun definitely intended) to catch the bad guys. And although Felicity was a relatively strange name for a cat and that she had very human reactions sometimes, there wasn’t much to really go on. 

Well there was the fact that her eyes had deviated from her neon yellow to a beautiful blue - even momentarily. But even now, he was willing to chalk it up to a trick of light. 

But then, Diggle had to go ruin it with his stupid logic. 

“Funny that her name is Felicity. You know that there’s been a Felicity Smoak missing from Queen Consolidated for months now? They filed it under cold cases but the SCPD suspects she’s been murdered”. 

Oliver thought long and hard about it. It wasn’t such a long stretch that the cat’s owner would be imprinted on the collar. And by the way the cat was frantically clawing at him now - it was definitely a name she recognized. 

“Maybe it’s her pet”, He suggested - not quite ready to give up this fuzzy creature that had somehow worked it’s way into his heart overnight. “And if she is missing, then we need to take care of it”, Oliver rationalized. 

The kitten rolled over in defeat and blinked owlishly at them. Idiots. 

“Yeah, whatever let’s you sleep at night”, Diggle snorted. Despite what Oliver thought, he could be pretty transparent about his feelings. Oliver didn’t respond to him, and rather took the time tounravel from where he was twisted in his sheets. Perching Felicity on his shoulder, he steadily headed toward his bathroom to get ready for his day. 

—><—

Oliver had no other choice than to bring Felicity with him to Queen Consolidated that morning. Diggle would be shadowing him all day and Roy would be manning the bar at Verdant, waiting for the liquor shipments and cleaning the dance floor. It wasn’t a well thought out plan but there was a board meeting that morning and it was such short notice that he’d had no other choice. 

Tucking Felicity into the breast pocket of his shirt (because really, she was just _that_ minuscule) where his handkerchief was supposed to be, he lumbered into the board room and took his seat, praying that Felicity had understood him when he had asked her not to come out until he took her out. So far, things had been okay. The slight movement in his pocket went unnoticed and Diggle had kept a neutral look on his face. He would have gotten away with it too. 

Except. 

Andrew Jones (head of Jones Corporate) (and on a totally unrelated note - definitely hooking up with his drug dealer) had begun talking about how QC’s technology division had been lacking in their developments in recent months - which was suspiciously around the same time that Felicity Smoak had disappeared (and she worked in the tech field!). When Mr. Jones brought up the less than excellent processing work on some of their circuits, Felicity’s curious little head had poked out cautiously from his pocket. And he hadn’t even noticed until she was wriggling out of the space until she leapt to the conference table - making the whole room go temporarily silent. They watched as she lumbered over the table - albeit clumsily- and Oliver’s felt his cheeks redden in the slightest - because holy fuck this cat was ruining his reputation as a stoic and cold businessman. 

Felicity scrambled over her own short paws and immediately made her way over to Mr. Jones, as if he had personally offended her in some way. And if the look in her eye slits were any indication, he most definitely had. 

No one even spoke up when Felicity raked her (slightly clipped) claws down Mr. Jone’s exposed hand and the balding man yowled in pain. He clutched his bleeding hand to his chest, and glared frostily at Felicity. 

“Mr. Queen!” Oliver winced. “Why is that you have a creature in your pocket? I didn’t know that it was take your pets to work day”, Mrs. Rochev sneered haughtily at Oliver. 

Isabel Rochev was as bad as it could get when it came to corporate espionage. Oliver had done some research on her when she had first started working at his father’s company - and sure, it looked spotless when you looked at her Stellmoor record. However, her reasons for “quitting” didn’t seem so reasonable to Oliver, so he had investigated.

As it turned out, blackmailing the CEO of said company with incriminating images concerning his sexual life wasn’t as moral as one might think. In fact, under any normal circumstances, one might even say that it get you fired. 

Funny enough, Felicity whirled around just as Isabel’s venomous words were spit from her mouth. Ambling over slowly, eyes trained on Isabel, Felicity stopped short of the she - demon and sat there unmoving, and frankly unafraid. 

“What is it doing?” Isabel asked irritably. “Why isn’t it moving?” 

Oliver tried hard not to face palm and he wanted to kick Digg’s ass for sitting in the background and chuckling. He watched with dismay as Felicity took a leap, fangs bared and claws raised - straight for Isabel. He barely heard Diggle’s “Oh _shit_ ”, before Felicity and Isabel were a flurry of hisses and movement. Not a single member on the board - Oliver included - was making any move to help her, and neither was Diggle. 

Deep down, Oliver had no remorse; Isabel was always a bitch. However, he knew that there would be hell to pay for this. And he wouldn’t tell a soul, but he had never respected a cat so much in their entire life. 

Isabel grabbed Felicity’s dwarf body and flung her straight at Oliver, who immediately caught her. 

And for gods - sake. The kitten was pawing at his nose the way a baby would a hanging toy. She gave him an innocent look and purred gently. Huffing out a laugh, he slipped her back into his suit pocket, her ear tips peeking out so endearingly, and mentally prepared himself for what he knew what was waiting for him when he addressed Mr. Jones and Mrs. Rochev. 

But — 

“I think it’s high time we dismiss this meeting. I’ll see you guys next week. Have a good day”, Oliver rapidly spoke and beelined for the glass door. Isabel and Andrew only stared at his retreating figure in shock, both of them babying their (well deserved) wounds. 

Diggle was smirking as he held open the door, and gestured him in. 

“Not a word”, He warned. The man only help up his hands placatingly and followed him back into his office. 

The sun was shining heavily through the glass walls of Queen Consolidated - and in some ways Oliver didn’t like all the exposure. Too many exit points meant too many places to cover in case of an attack - but he couldn’t bring himself to try and change anything his father had left behind. QC was like the glue that held it all together, and the blonde heir silently feared that the crumbling of this empire would destroy any legacy that Robert had created. 

However, it was the last thing on his mind when he placed a wriggling cat on his desk, who peered up at him with smug features. “You’re going to get me fired from my own company”, He scolded. “And I get it. Isabel can be a bitch. But did you have to attack Mr. Jones?” Oliver sighed. Felicity’s tail swished to one side unhelpfully. 

From the front of his office, Diggle was downright giddy. 

“Man, do you even hear yourself? You’re reprimanding a cat”. 

“It’s called discipline, Diggle”. 

“Discipline my ass. You wouldn’t know what discipline was even if it hit you in the head with a flashing sign”. 

“It’s better to talk to your pets in a normal way. It helps them pick up on social cues”, Oliver tried a different tactic - but was immediately shot down. 

“You’re thinking of a baby. Animals do not listen to us talk and then learn how to make music. I literally do not know what fantasy castle in the sky you’ve been living in”, his bodyguard said with only slightly judgmental eyes. 

Oliver pouted down at Felicity. “Diggle’s being mean isn’t he? Maybe I should get you to put him in his place”, He smiled devilishly. And Felicity got the cue too if the glint in her eye was anything to go by. At the end of the exchange, Diggle was the only one grumpy. 

—><—

Felicity noticed that Oliver and Diggle had taken it upon themselves to follow up on the disappearance of Felicity Smoak - which was very thoughtful of them. The cops had given up so easily - and given five minutes and a computer with some decent WiFi, she could have found her own kidnapper. Too bad she didn’t have - well, _herself_ , looking out for her. So it was incredibly sweet when Oliver who could barely work the buttons on his iPhone began reviewing security footage and stealing files from the precinct (as the Vigilante) about her case. It was almost hurting her soul to be so close to the truth and not be able to express it. And however slow their progress was, was outweighed by the fact that it was indeed progress. Everyday, they were getting a littler closed to the truth. Diggle has already found reports of a meta human who could turn people into animals. Oliver had managed to dig up her last known location (which unsurprisingly had been Big Belly Burger). Felicity could only hope that Oliver and Diggle would be as friendly with her human side as they were with her feline side. 

Sure, when she was all cute and cuddly and had excuses to tear skin (she had hated that Rochev bitch so for so long - and how dare Mr. Jones insult her processors when he couldn’t do better himself?) it was all good. But secretly, the genius worried that Team Arrow - as she had come to call it in her head - wouldn’t be so accepting of a weird blonde with the over tendency to spew Freudian slips and Doctor Who references. Maybe she was being stupid but she didn’t see Oliver as the type to let go the fact that he had unintentionally let another human in on his green secret. Still, she wouldn’t tell anyone given the chance. She truly believed that he was making the difference that the cops weren’t willed enough to make. 

—><— 

Oliver watched on in amusement as Felicity batted the bright blue ball of yarn that he had purchased. She clearly wasn’t pleased with it, her fangs kept making an appearance. 

“Here”, He said. He sat down on his rolling chair besides her. Placing a tablet in front of her, he pulled up his Netflix account. “Let’s watch a show”. 

Felicity practically vibrated with her purring of content, and he stifled a laugh. She was adorable. “I’ll let you choose”. 

She stood with her paws perched next to the screen and nudged his hand with her nose every time she wanted him to scroll. It was surprisingly very adept for a kitten, but he guessed that having a tech genius as an owner would rub off on you, no matter what species you were. He didn’t stop scrolling until she meowed loudly at the cover of X-Files. Funny. His cat _would_ be into crime. 

Oliver couldn’t help but smile when Felicity kept her eyes trained on the screen for the entirety of the episode, her attention never wavering. 

In the middle of her episode, Roy lumbered in, a crate of wine balanced on his forearm. He was dressed in his red hoodie and a pair of jeans - and although he was still a kid of the Glades, training and expending his energy into fighting for the greater good has made his face seem a little more relaxed. At least if Oliver stilled struggled with his own demons, he was stilling helping Roy with his own. 

Roy didn’t notice Felicity at first, but when he did awareness jolted Oliver like a crack of lightning. Whereas he thought Roy might coo and play with the feline, the complete scold on his face said otherwise. 

“I don’t know who that is, but it’s human”, He said indicating towards Felicity’s tiny figure. 

“What?” Oliver chortled, stroking between the cat’s ears. 

“Yeah, man. I hear stuff on the street. That’s not just any cat. And I don’t know where you found her but you gotta let her go”. 

“What the hell are you talking about, Roy?” Oliver asked. A feeling of dread crept behind him and he could feel it breathing down his neck. “I’m not gonna let her go”. 

Roy shook his head. “Listen. There’s a meta on the street that turns people into animals, yeah?” At Oliver’s short nod he continued. “Well, he’s not just some guy who likes turning people into animals. He also likes to dismember them and stuff, real nasty shit. He’s probably looking for her”. 

Oliver could feel nausea flow into his gut. Who would want to hurt animals? He gets it, yeah, people eat things like chicken and beef and pork and fish, but hurting animals - innocent cats too - is just downright sickening. “Well I’m not going to leave her to fend for herself. She’s just a baby”. 

Felicity paid no attention to them - still wrapped up in her show. 

Roy shook his head again. “That’s not a baby. That’s a human there”. 

“Well, still. Felicity is in vulnerable state, and I’m not letting her go until we find out how to turn her back”. 

His prodigy only agrees, but Oliver can’t help but feel his stomach churn. There’s no way he’s letting anything hurt Felicity. 

—><—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This is part 2 of my five part fic - and my baby Felicity is still a kitten - but we are working toWards a solution (or at least Oliver and Diggle are). I really hope you guys enjoy it!!  
> Happy reading :)  
> Don’t forget to comment and leave kudos.


	3. Two Sides

—><—

Oliver wonders what Felicity Smoak is like when she can talk like a human. Is she just as sarcastic and high ended as her feline side? Is she as adorable and cuddly? Has she scratched people who have annoyed her?

Finding out what she looked like had been easy enough; sunshine blonde hair and pale porcelain skin, full lips, and those deep pools of blue eyes that had winked at him that very first night. Her file at Queen Consolidated had supplied him with the basic information about her; like she grew up in Vegas, and she had graduated summa cum laude at M.I.T. with a Masters in both Cybersecurity and Computer Sciences. It really made him question why she was working such a low level job when she could be running her own tech empire. If - no when, when they turned her back human he was going to make sure that Felicity Smoak was promoted. And maybe give her an end of the year bonus for attacking both Rochev and Jones. 

Staring at the dozing furball that was perched on the table next to his ancient computers (which made sense if she was as into tech as she seemed), Oliver couldn’t help but feel… sad. It was crazy. And he was being stupid. 

But the truth of it was that when all was said and done, Felicity would go back to being a regular adult and she wouldn’t curl up next to Oliver and chase his nightmares away. It was kind of ridiculous considering he and the cat had never had a conversation, but he felt like he might be losing an integral part of his team. 

They were still waiting for the Central City team to get back to them with any glimpse of this animal mutilating psychopath, and their call was due any moment now. Oliver paced back and forth, his forefinger and thumb rubbing against each other in his familiar nervous tick, and his other hand squeezing his cellphone so tight that he feared he might crack it from pressure. 

Diggle stood to his left, his arms crossed in their almost too zen fashion, his eyes trained on the man before him. Roy was to his right, his ankles crossed in a casual position that would fit in the Abercrombie magazine that he could have been modeling for with his cutthroat jawline. The two met the other’s eyes over their pacing friend - and it was strange. They had never seen him so high strung. 

And then the phone in Oliver’s hand rang and echoed throughout the Foundry. The first ring hadn’t even finished before he picked up.

“Barry”. His greeting was concise and to the point, no room for small talk. 

“Hey, Oliver”.

“Any news on this meta?”

“Cisco was able to pull up his profile, and his name is Charlie Woodrow. He was a vet about five years ago, but his medical license was confiscated when they found out he wasn’t really... helping the animals”. 

“Pretty sick dude”, Oliver heard Cisco shout through the other end. “When people would bring in their animals, they’d leave worse than when they came”. 

“So what’s his story?” Oliver asked. 

“Well, when the particle accelerator malfunctioned, he was in the middle of dissecting an rabbit” Barry explained. “He’s has a habit for running around in the night and breaking into pet shops and doing some pretty nasty stuff”. 

Oliver could feel the vein in his temple pulsing erratically. “Can you guys track him?” 

“We’re trying”, The speedster said. “But it’s not so easy. There’s literally anywhere that he could be — and there’s no way to form a pattern for where he might be going”.

“What about the pet stores he’s been hitting? Can’t you triangulate a possible location based off of those?”

“We can try. But he only hit pet shops in Central City. Now that he’s in Starling, there’s been no recent activity. Did you ask Roy how he knew that this kitten is one of Woodrow’s?”

Oliver felt himself frown. Yes, it was strange that Roy had been able to spot that Felicity had been human before even looking at her for more than a minute. 

“I’ll ask him. Thank you, Barry. Please call me if you find anything”. 

“You got it”, Barry and Cisco’s voices echoed out in unison. 

As he clicked the call close, he rounded on his prodigy who arched a sleek eyebrow at him. 

“How did you know that Felicity was actually a human? You barely even looked at her”. Diggle straightened up at that and looked at Roy. 

“It’s a long story”; Roy said. 

“I’ve got time”. 

Roy uncrossed his feet and sighed. 

“I don’t know if you’ve ever looked at your girl, but she’s probably got a mark on her. Very minuscule. You’d probably never even noticed if you weren’t looking for it”. Rubbing his eyes, the younger man looked almost pained. “I had a friend. Maybe two years ago. She was kidnappedand no one could find her. And maybe a few months later she came back and she had a scar - it almost looked like a birthmark. It was dead center on her left side and she claimed that someone had turned her into a dog. I thought she was going crazy. I really did. It was shaped like a four pointed star. And it was really small. And I remember, she took me back to where they had kept her”. Roy’s eyes turned glassy. “There were so many dead animals on the ground - completely butchered and bloody. But they all had that four pointed star somewhere on them. I wanted to tell the cops but when you’re a kid from the Glades....”, He shook his head. “They don’t care”. Oliver felt his heart drop for his prodigy. Roy was a hard case but still - that must have been very traumatic. 

“Do you think that you could bring your friend for us to meet?” Diggle asked gently. 

Roy shook his head vehemently. “A few weeks later, her body was found behind an alleyway, and her four tipped star had been carved into... deeply”. He nodded his head towards a Felicity’s slumbering figure. “There’s a four tipped star right on her lower neck. You’ll see it because the fur around it is super patchy and takes the same shape”. 

Oliver scratched through his scruff. “I’ll take your word for it. Barry and the rest of Team Flash are currently doing everything they can to track our meta”. 

“Did he tell you how the circumstances can be reversed? Can we turn Felicity back into a human?”

“I didn’t think to ask”, The Queen heir admitted sheepishly. “Maybe Woodrow has to be the one to reverse it? I’m not really clear on the whole mystical aspect of it”. 

“Well either way”, Diggle mused. “While she may be safe here with us for the time being, I don’t want to risk it. And besides. I’m sure Felicity Smoak would like to get back to her life”. 

On that they could agree. 

—><—

Oliver went home to the Queen Mansion that night for the time in what had to be weeks. He didn’t like staying there. While he had grown up, the house had been a shell - an empty one. The endless hallways and the copious amounts of doorways inside were always so quiet... in a way they had no right in being. With such an abundance of space, it was made to be filled to brim with constant chatter. But it never was. 

And now that Moira was in Iron Heights serving her time for the Undertaking, the house was more cold than usual. Thea was trying to turn her life around, and she had taken their mother’s deception especially hard. So she was mostly not around these days. So Oliver really hated coming home. 

However the bustling calico that was poking her pointy ears over the rim of his shirt was enough to make the edges of the emerald archer’s lips turn up. “Be patient”, Oliver murmured to her feeling his heart swell with affection. The light hiss that emerged from his shirt made him chuckle. As he climbed the stairs to his room, Felicity’s head finally pulled over the shirt and her meow that left her at the sight of his house had him wanting to crush her to him. Her head was swiveling back and forth as if trying to take in everything at the same time. She barely blinked and when they reached his slate grey room with his Italian silk sheets and perfectly puffed pillows, Felicity let out a deep purr and snuggled her head into his chest. 

Oliver smirked. “You don’t have to act nice now. You were going to get to sleep here anyways”, He teased. He didn’t feel as much of a lunatic now that he knew that she could understand what he was saying. Felicity only purred again and used her sharp claws to push herself from his shirt. From there, she leapt on the bed, her lithe body barely making the mattress sink from her added weight. Oliver shucked his leather jacket and toed off his shoes. Pulling down his pants till he was only in his white undershirt and gray boxers, he flopped on the bed beside her without his usual grace. 

“I don’t really know what you’re like when you’re human, but I’m sure you’ll be just as amazing then too”. He could feel heat rising up his cheeks. “I hope we’re still friends. I mean, you work at QC so I’ll make sure to run down with lunch if that’s okay with you”. Felicity only licked the side of his cheek in response, and her eyes were heavily ladened with sleep. “We’ll talk tomorrow”, Oliver decided. 

—><—

“Barry called”, was Roy’s greeting the following day. The young man was still wearing his signature red hoodie (Oliver was almost positive he had named it), and his fingers were fiddling with his black bow. “They got a lead. Woodrow is staying in an abandoned warehouse off the outskirts of the Glades. Warehouse E-57, West”. 

“Why are you holding your bow?” Was all Oliver asked. 

“I think I have enough control now. I don’t need to slap water anymore”, was Roy’s feeble defense. Oliver heard Diggle snort, and he knew he himself was smirking. 

“Okay, Harper”. Roy’s face lit up with unadulterated glee - but it was short lived. 

“But”, the vigilante declared. “Before we get you started, bring that bowl of water. Slap it for me”. 

Roy paled. 

Diggle coughed. 

Roy brought the bowl and sat down in front of his mentor. “I don’t think this is really necessary because I -“

“Slap it”, Oliver ordered. 

Roy slapped the water. 

And the bowl itself overturned. 

Diggle guffawed loudly and Oliver shook his head. “Put your bow back in the case, Roy”. 

“Damn it”, The young man muttered. 

“I’m heading out”, the billionaire told Diggle and Roy. I’m going to scope out that abandoned warehouse and I’ll come back. I’ll keep you on comms”. 

“You got it, boss”. 

—><—

Oliver scaled the rooftop of the building diagonal of Warehouse E-57. He had to admit, Woodrow had done a good job of covering up his tracks. If Barry hadn’t investigated, he would have never noticed. It paid to have someone techy on your team, he guessed. 

Diggle was good and all - being in the military had strengthened all his bases, but he was more of a in the field type of guy. Plus he was an advantage to have out in the opening guarding his six. 

No, it would be really useful to have someone whose speciality was the comms and gadgets and computers. Someone like... Felicity. 

Just a thought. 

Based on her resume, and her ever lasting love for tech even as a feline (and her undying support for him), it would only make sense for them to bring her in. Plus, she was practically part of the team already. 

Oliver was no stranger to being a selfish man, it was a habit he had never grown out of even after his five years on Lian Yu. And yes, adding Felicity to the bandwagon of vigilantes was yet another one of his selfish acts, but with everything unselfish in him, he had made a silent vow to himself and her that he would protect her no matter the costs should she join the team. The streets were clear, which was expected as it was on the outskirts of the Glades. However, a singular figure shuffled across the road before sending suspicious looks down both ways. Oliver watched with rapt attention as the man in the brown coat and khakis quickly punched in the code to E-57, and slipped inside, the door clunking shut after him. 

However from his vantage point he couldn’t make out the code he had put in. But now they knew that what Barry said was true. Woodrow was camping out at E-57. 

“You see anything, Arrow?” Diggle’s voice echoed in his ear. 

“Woodrow just entered the warehouse. But I can’t engage. The warehouse is sealed with a keypad”. 

“No explosive arrows?” He heard Roy question. 

“There’s too much of a risk. Woodrow might have other animals in there”, Oliver said gruffly. 

“Makes sense. Are you going to do some more recon tonight or are you-“ Roy stopped suddenly. 

“Arsenal?” Oliver pressed his fingers to his comm. “Arsenal, do you copy?” 

“Holy shit, man”, Roy said breathlessly. 

“Arsenal, what the hell is going on?” The blonde attempted to remain calm. 

“It’s Felicity”, came Diggle’s steady voice. 

A million thoughts flew through Oliver’s head. 

Was she okay? Was she hurt? What was happening? 

“What’s happening with Felicity?”

“She’s human now”, Diggle said. 

“And naked”, Roy unhelpfully supplied. The thunk that came over the comms was what Oliver assumed was Diggle slapping Roy in the back of the head. 

“Human?” He couldn’t help but wonder. It was one thing to know that Felicity had been human and was now prancing around on four paws. But hearing that she was waiting in the lair, all 5’5 of her (according to her file at least) was strange. 

“Yeah, boss. Her blonde hair is a little frizzy but she’s here”. 

And then he heard her. Felicity. 

“Is that Oliver”? Her voice was so soft and sweet and unsure. It sounded a little scratchy from disuse, but he could hear the pitch of her voice even as a background from the comms.

“Yeah, that’s Oliver”, Diggle assured her. “I’m going to get you some clothes and then we can sit down and have a talk, okay?” 

Oliver didn’t hear a reply but it didn’t matter. He was already straddling his bike and zooming off in the night to Verdant. He was going to meet Felicity. 

—><—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I know. I’m prepared to get yelled at. The truth that I’m sure you’re all coming to realize is that I’m super irresponsible and I can’t update on time to save my life. But here we are. We’re 60% done with this fic. And our girl Felicity is clearly thriving at the moment.   
> On a totally unrelated note I’d just like to say something.   
> As you all know, it’s been a trying time for all of us. COVID-19 has taken over our daily lives as we know it, and I understand that none of us are happy about it. So I’m asking all of you to please stay safe, and stay inside to stop the spread. If you need to go outside wear protective face masks and gloves - and remember. We’re all in this together (even if we can’t be together). Stay healthy.   
> Don’t forget to drop those comments and kudos, and I hope my chapter improved your cabin - fevered lives!  
> Happy reading <3


	4. Mirror, Mirror

—><—

Felicity is cold. Her skin feels abnormally bare and she can feel herself shivering. It’s expected as she is naked but it’s different somehow. 

She chalks it up to the fact that for the past half a year she’s been covering in fur, and now all she has is the hair on her head and the eyebrows above her eyes. 

Roy and Oliver are in front of her and it’s so strange to be able to look at them and not be tiny. 

To be honest, she can’t see very well - she doesn’t have her glasses on hand. In fact, even when she had been in cat form, it was a struggle to make sense of things that were around her. Sure, Oliver and Diggle she had become familiar with but it was why she had stumbled over her own feet when attacking Jones and Rochev. 

Diggle is walking towards her, handing her what looks like a pair of sweatpants and an oversized t - shirt, probably one of Roy’s or Oliver’s. 

“The bathroom is over there”, Diggle says gently, pointing to the right of workout dummies. Oliver hasn’t said anything since he’s gotten there, and she’s half waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

Nodding in appreciation Felicity hurries off. When she gets there she’s floored. 

There’s a mirror. 

And it’s not the first time since she’s been turned that Felicity’s seen herself - whether it be through the reflection in a rain puddle or from the metallic shine of a passing car. But it’s the first time in months that she’s seen herself in human form- and it’s supremely unnerving. 

Her lips are chapped and pale, kind of like it would have been had she been biting at it all day. Her roots are starting to show, her blonde hair fading from the long period of lack of dye. She doesn’t even realized she’s reaching up to touch her cheek until the surprising point of her nail stabs her. 

It’s then that she realizes that her cat claws may not have lost their length. It’s almost like looking at a stranger in the mirror, yet someone so familiar. Felicity knows that if she continues she’ll end up staring at herself all day. She quickly throws on the t - shirt that she ends up having to tie a knot into (her fingers fumble clumsily after all this time) and she has to fold the cuffs of the sweatpants several times over for them not to swallow her feet. Even now, it’s weird that her nails have no polish on them - as she was extremely careful to paint them every Friday in an electric blue or a bubblegum pink. The former calico wishes she had a hair tie on her (her hair looks like a disaster). The shirt swallows her frame completely because the months on the streets before Oliver were not kind to her. What catches her most off guard though, is the four tipped star that’s engraved in her skin like a claim. She knows where it’s from and yet her hand still shakes when she reaches for it. 

It’s only a sudden knock followed by a “Felicity? It’s me, Oliver. Are you ready?” 

Felicity pulls open the door to be met with one frazzled looking Oliver Queen. 

And just because she’s still Felicity Smoak —

“Wow. You’re so much better to look at when I can get my eyes all over you at once. And that scruff is really working for you”, The woman mutters much to her own embarrassment. “Oh god”, She facepalms. “Please ignore me. I’m sorry. I do that sometimes”. Oliver has a bewildered look on his face like he isn’t sure where he should step in. 

Felicity thinks he should have stepped in before this one sided conversation even started. 

“I have a rare foot in mouth disease that comes with being an IT gremlin with no one to talk to whatsoever. Not that I don’t have friends!”, She’s quick to assure when he frowns. And she’s completely lying too - she doesn’t really have much time for friends. Well she does, but she doesn’t really respect her supervisor or Stacy from Accounting who totally fucked around with her ex. “I have friends. Just outside of work. Although I guess you could be considered my friend now so I guess I do have friends in the company”. Fuck, what if he doesn’t consider them friends? You can’t make friends with a cat you’ve never held a discussion with. “Not that we’re friends”, Felicity is quick to rectify. She’s spiraling into this dark abyss that she can’t claw her way out of, and it’s mortifying. “Unless you want us to be”, She finishes meekly, peering at the vigilante under her eyelashes. 

He looks overwhelmed. But there’s a smile playing on his lips when he says; “We’re friends, Felicity”. 

“Oh, good. Cause that would have been awkward especially when I think I’m wearing your clothes. That was okay right?”

“Absolutely”. Oliver’s eyes are scanning her up and down, desperately trying to memorize everything about this new person he’s meeting. He’s holding open the door for her and she hesitantly steps out, not quite ready for the talk she’s about to have. 

Diggle and Roy are both waiting by the computers she’s been dying to update since she’s arrived. 

The four of them stand there looking at each other in deafening silence and it’s Diggle who finally breaks the tension. 

“So a cat, huh?”

—><—

“Do you remember where Woodrow kept you?” Roy asked. “Because the last time I found one of his hideouts it was pretty gruesome. And abandoned”. 

“I don’t really know”, Felicity says, scratching her head. “He kept the animals in the cages when he wasn’t working on them”. She’s able to vaguely recall Woodrow - he wore a hood most of the time. And he never really had time to work on me. He only gave me the scar when he first took me”, Her hands automatically flew to the star that was etched into her tender neck flesh. Oliver’s eyes followed her movements and a scowl marred his features. 

“How did you escape?” Diggle asked. “And did any of the other animals escape?”

A dozen flashes passed behind her eyelids. 

_ It was too bleary for her to see, but her feline eyes were able to catch upon the ring of keys hanging from the man’s belt.  _

_Felicity was terrified. She had watched him pull a pocket knife out of it’s sheath and use it on a cute pomsky. And while she had been scared for her own life, the truth of it was that anyone of them could be next. There was no way that any of them could have gotten the keys off of him, and even if they had, with them being in animals forms no one would have been able to use it. But she was so tiny, so she wriggled her furry little body between spaces of the iron_ _bars that had been keeping her in place. Woodrow hadn’t noticed when she had snuck out at the time. She had darted out and about the space, studying the terrified animals locked in their cages._

_It was two torturous hours before he let up his “experimenting”, and left the warehouse. He had taken off his bloodstained jacket and sheathed his knife. The only thing left behind of his cruel actions was the stand - still dog left on the table, and the metallic smell of blood that permeated the air. As quick as a flash, she had slipped through the door and ambled down the street - she figured that anywhere was better than there. Her feline ears pricked as the sounds of the scratching on the cages and the whining followed her_ _exit. Felicity’s heart ached to leave them behind, but there was nothing she could do in her position. Not yet, at least._

_But she vowed that she’d come back for them._

_Some day._

—><—

Felicity was so lost in her memory that she barely noticed Diggle shaking her out of her trance. It was until Oliver ducked right into her line of vision that she shook herself out of it. 

Rolling her shoulders a little, she gave them a timid smile. “Sorry, what was the question”?

Oliver frowned at her. “Are you okay, Felicity?”

“Lemon breezy”, Was her intelligent response. The three males in front of her stared at her for a long moment, Roy crooking his head at her in a way that made him look like a dog. 

“Lemon... breezy?” The emerald archer repeated in confusion. 

“Yes. Lemon breezy”, Felicity repeated. “That is what I said”. 

“This chick is weird”, Roy exclaimed. “I like it!” 

A flush spread down her neck at the random compliment, and she ducked her head down shyly. 

“Hey, Felicity”. Diggle’s face was open and shone with kindness and warmth. “I know this must be hard for you, but whenever you’re ready to tell us, we want to know what happened”. 

Even as the blonde was nodding, she felt the bile rise in her throat. She was up in seconds and running back to the bathroom, only to heave the empty contents of her stomach into the toilet. Heavy sobs wrecked her small frame. A warm hand held her hair behind her, and cradled her. 

Felicity leaned into Oliver, instinctively knowing his embrace. 

“It’s okay, Felicity”, Oliver whispered gently. “It’s okay”. He rocked her slowly in his arms while he continued to stroke her long blonde hair. “I’m here, I promise. And I won’t let you get hurt”. 

Felicity felt tears track down her face at her words. 

She had just been alone for so long, living in fear. Living in the shadows of the street and watching out for the slightest noises. Anything had been a potential threat, whether it be the dogs on the streets or the sadists who creeped around. Felicity couldn’t remember the last time she had interacted with anyone at all, let alone someone who cared. Oliver was her closest friend, her only ally. She hadn’t known him for long but she believed so deeply in him. 

If someone had told her half a year ago that her only friend would be the fearful - bow wielding vigilante, she would have laughed it off. It was ridiculous - and besides that completely drunken mistake of hacking into ARGUS once ( or twice) there was no reason for the Arrow to pay any attention to her. 

However, it seemed that fate had different plans for her in store. 

So they sat there on the cold bathroom in the Foundry, and he let her tears soak his shirt without any complaints with only his soft murmuring soothing her. 

—><—

Sometime during her breakdown, she had (embarrassingly) fell asleep in Oliver’s arms and he had placed her in his car and driven them back to the Queen Mansion. He had been kind enough to ask her if she wanted to go home, but the truth was that she felt safer with him around. More at ease. He led her hand in hand to his room, and only went to the bathroom momentarily to bring her a hair tie, which she gladly accepted. Her hair looked like a wild forest. Oliver stopped short at her and smiled softly. 

“You can sleep”, He assures her. “I’ll go sleep in a guest room. You can call me if you need anything”. 

Felicity bit her lip. “Are you sure? You can sleep in here. I can go sleep in a guest room. It’s your room after all”. 

Oliver waved her off. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. You might as well sleep somewhere you’re used to”. His face was sheepish, almost as if he were ashamed of being so nice to her. 

“I’ve only slept here once or twice”, She couldn’t help but argue. “And that was as a cat”. 

Oliver was a self sacrificing idiot sometimes, and of course that nature extended to something as simple as a bed. Honestly, she’s probably feel more at home if he slept with her. In a totally platonic way. Of course. 

Because Oliver only knew her as a feline, so he wouldn’t think of her as any way but platonic. 

“I didn’t hear you complaining as a cat”, the man countered with a smug smile on his face. 

“I was a cat”, Felicity sputtered. 

“That’s no excuse. You were pretty vocal for a cat”. A sly smile slid across his face, and an unadulterated look of glee shone in his bright blues. “What do you have against Isabel Rochev and Mr. Jones?” 

Felicity groaned “Damn it. I knew this was going to come back to bite me, pun intended”.

“Hey, I’m not mad”, Oliver was quick to reassure. “Andrew Jones and Isabel Rochev have been slandering my QC rep for as long as I can remember. Sure, they’re both pretty snooty but what do you have against them?” 

“Mr. Jones personally offended me”, She confessed. She watched as his fingers twitched by his sides: and his lips quirked upwards into a half smile. 

“I think I got that”, Oliver said amused. Felicity and Oliver stood there in silence for a moment, the latter clearly waiting for an explanation. 

Sighing, Felicity threw her hands up. It was a strange and choppy movement for some reason, although the lack of usage of her real limbs for some time could do that. “Before I was...”

...”Changed”? Oliver suggested. 

“Changed”, Felicity agreed. “I made a processing system in I.T. before I was changed that Queen Consolidated uses to systematically analyze the central units and the new information that’s constantly being uploaded. I didn’t really get a chance to finish the new software but I did send a prototype of it to my supervisor”. Her face twisted up into a scowl. “He used it and discredited me. Asshole”. 

Oliver couldn’t help but feel a coil of anger unfurl in him. He may not know Felicity well but he’d read enough about her to know she was a Mensa level genius working in a field that she was 100 times overqualified for. Her raw talent and finesse deserves to be recognized, and he would be having a serious talk with the I.T. supervisor the next time he went in for work. 

He turned his attention back to her as she continued to speak. “Anyways, like I said. It was just a prototype. I wasn’t finished with it. But before I could finish, I was changed. And I’m sure there were a few glitches in the system but I didn’t have any time to work it out. And then Jones had the nerve to say that the processors were lacking”, The blonde couldn’t help but scoff in distaste. “I’d like to see him do half the work I’d do”. 

“Jones can be real dick”, Oliver agreed. “And he’s not as half as smart as you”. 

“Obviously. My IQ is 170”. When she said it, it wasn’t bragging. She was just stating it like a fact. 

Oliver couldn’t help but smile. “You’re just as fiery as a person as you are a cat”. 

“That may be true but don’t worry, I’m not a scratcher or a biter”. When his eyes widened in shock, she hurried on. “I mean - not in the sexual way. Although if you do like hickeys and scratch marks then that’s all you. I’m no kink shamer”. 

The archer only stared at her with his mouth agape, his eyebrows riding uncomfortably high up to his hairline. And then —

“Although if I’m really thinking about it, you probably didn’t mean it in terms of sex”, Felicity finished in embarrassment, her cheeks blossoming in a rich red color. 

“I - uh, not really. I did not mean it in terms of sex”, Oliver said. 

“Then please just forget everything I just said”. 

“What did you just say?” Oliver winked at her innocently. 

Felicity smiled back in response. It was so weird to be having a conversation with him. He had talked to her and cuddled her and preened over her when she was a kitten but the fact that they were discussing something with actual words and lack of claws was so different. It made her genuinely wonder if Oliver liked the person under the face of the feline. 

Despite the fact that she had spent a little time with him, she was very attached to the man in front of her with a heart of shy gold and a hero complex. During her time as a kitten, she had come to see him almost as her... protector for a lack of a better word. 

“Can you do me a favor?” Felicity asked Oliver quietly. He frowned at the serious note in her voice and then searched her eyes. 

“Anything”, He promised without hesitation.

“Can you stay with me? Just for tonight”, She added when she saw his hesitant face. He looked back and forth between her and the silk sheets before nodding and gesturing for her to climb up. 

Felicity knee - walked over the comforter to the side of the room that was opposite the door. She knew that he’d want to be able to exit if anything were to happen. She slid under the cool sheets and stretched languidly, purring in content from the way the soft mattress dipped slightly under her weight and filled her senses with downy and the woodsy scent of Oliver. Nestling her head into the fluffy pillow, she looked up to see Oliver staring at her, his fingers rubbing against each other furiously. 

“Why are you nervous?” She had to ask. 

His fingers immediately halted before he half assed lied. “I’m not nervous”. 

Felicity smiled knowingly at him before arching an eyebrow. “Of course you’re not”. She motioned him over. “Come on, climb in. I need my snuggle buddy”. 

A wave of satisfaction washed over her when he huffed out a chuckle before shucking his clothes and joining her in his black boxers and gray t - shirt. His whole body took up over half of the bed and warmth radiated off of him in rounds. 

With his arms underneath his pillows, he turned to look at her and smiled beautifully, and she couldn’t resist herself from thinking how amazingly domestic the whole scene was. 

It was a strange thing for her to be thinking when she hadn’t even had time to develop longing feelings towards Oliver, and especially weird since despite his time away and his apparent changes, he still had a reputation for running away from commitment. 

“What’s on your mind?” He asked her quietly, snapping her out of her reverie. 

Felicity felt a completely unwanted blush bloom in her cheeks, and she smiled sheepishly back, unwilling to share such an intimate thought just yet. “Nothing. I’m just glad you’re here”, She replied. And it wasn’t a lie. She was extremely grateful that Oliver was supporting her through her transition back into regular life. 

“I’m glad to be here”, He said honestly. 

They fell into a comfortable silence after that, just laying side by side. His blue eyes studied her intensely, like he almost couldn’t believe she was here. 

“Hey, Oliver?” She asked quietly. This had been bugging her for some time. 

He tilted his head at her. 

“Do you see me as being part of your team? Because I can help you. My fingers are magical”. He only raised his eyebrow at her and smiled a little, and his smile turned into a full blown grin when her eyes widened. 

“Not magical in that way. I mean it could be”, His teeth were full on shining now. 

“I mean I wouldn’t know considering I can’t jack myself off”. Mortified she covered her mouth. “ _Oh my god_ that was so inappropriate. I’m so sorry, please ignore me”. 

“I meant my fingers are magical in a technical way. I can help you when you’re out in the field. I can pull up coordinates and hack into the SCPD and I can keep you safe”. 

Oliver huffed out a breath. “It’s not safe for _you_. By being affiliated with me, the Hood, or even as Oliver Queen, you will have a target painted on your back. And I won’t have that. I can’t have that. I _won’t_ put you at risk if it’s not necessary”. 

Felicity fumbled around before she found his hand and clasped onto it tightly. “It’s my life, my choice”, She said firmly. “And I can’t leave you out there without any backup”. 

“I have backup”, Oliver insisted. “Diggle almost always runs with me and soon Roy will be ready to go out in the field too”. 

“Roy isn’t anywhere near ready. He’s still slapping water. He doesn’t know how to properly use a bow yet and he has yet to learn how to properly throw punches. I can help you in a way no one else can”, Felicity argued. “I don’t even have to be in the field. I just wanna be in you!” 

Oliver half choked on his own saliva as she struggled to make amends. 

“And by in you, I mean your ear! In your ear as when I talk you through missions and help you out with footage and oncoming assailants”. 

Oliver only quirked an eyebrow her before asking, “Do you always do that?”

Felicity moaned in embarrassment. “What? Make a complete fool of myself in front of hot and unattainable vigilante billionaires? Only occasionally”. 

Oliver’s wide, face splitting grin after that was the only thing that made her slip up worth it. “You think I’m hot?”

“That’s not the point, Oliver!”

“But do you?” A childish twinkle has entered his eye and Felicity couldn’t help but indulge him. Too often she found him with grimaces and brooding looks, and he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. So why not?

“I wear glasses but I’m not completely blind. Any warm blooded woman would find you attractive”. 

Oliver licked his lips with purpose, which surprised her greatly. “Good to know”, His voice was deep and gravelly. Felicity swallowed hard. “I’ll let you join the team but I want you to readjust to life again. You went through an ordeal, Felicity”. 

“I know. But I believe that if we work together we can find this guy. And we can put him away for good”, The blonde insisted. 

Oliver scrutinized her for any sign of falsity, but relented when he found one. “Okay”, He gave out. “ _But_ -“ He began when he saw her grin in triumph, “-if I think that it’s too much too soon, I reserve the right to put you on the side, just temporarily. Deal?”

“Deal”. 

—><—

Oliver felt the temple on his forehead begin to throb when Diggle said with far too much amusement; “Are you going to keep standing here like a total creeper or are you going to go over there and talk to her like a mature person?” 

Oliver only glared sourly at his partner before carefully placing his bow on the rack. 

“Felicity?” 

The blonde in question turned from the new and fresh computers she had purchased thanks to his black AMEX. It had amazed him how easily she had fallen into the routine that their team carried. She had even requested a rolling chair (which he couldn’t have denied her even if he wanted to, which he didn’t) and he had bought it for her with no hesitation. She had created a little spot for herself and regularly updated their servers, while simultaneously running facial recognition searches for Woodrow and following money trails. Their nighttime work had never been so progressive - her technology based prowess had helped them speed things up infinitely. It was so much easier to track someone down when you knew where they were moving, and so much easier to evade the police when you could pull up tracking for where they were going to be. It had only been two weeks but Felicity had made herself invaluable and irreplaceable. Even concerning her personal friendships with people on the team, she fit in like a missing puzzle piece and was able to alleviate the tension in the testosterone filled Foundry. 

Roy and Felicity got along like siblings, with half hearted bicker and constant laughs. Even with his rough demeanor and sharp tongue, Felicity had found away to soften the boy from the Glades. He didn’t pretend to he lax about everything, and as far as Oliver knew, he opened up to Felicity about life on the streets and about having drug addict for a mother. 

Diggle treated Felicity like his little sister, as he was very protective of her. Oliver himself had already been warned away from breaking her heart, which he had thought was a weird thing for Diggle to do considering they didn’t have feelings for each other. (Okay. Maybe he liked her a little, but no one had to know). (Except Diggle who had a sixth sense for when Oliver was doing something he shouldn’t - like feeling non - platonic feelings for their Mensa level genius). Diggle brought Felicity coffee every morning, and they had an easy friendship, much like Roy and her but different in many ways. 

Oliver and her were different. They were friends and they talked but ninety nine percent of what was important was left unsaid. Maybe it was better for Felicity to be kept away from his web of secrets and darkness. However, he could almost never stop himself from the touches that lingered and the staring that went on for far too long to be just friendly. It was weird because up until two weeks ago he had associated her with pointy ears and balls of yarn and sharp claws. Well, actually, she still had the sharp claws but — not the point. 

Another unsaid thing between them though, was that they wouldn’t take any further steps until they were both ready. Oliver didn’t think they’d be ready until at least after Woodrow was behind bars. But what did he know?

“Yes, Oliver?” Was Felicity’s sweet reply. It was strange. Just two weeks ago she had barely looked like she had been living in civilization. Now, her roots were touched up to the point where he couldn’t tell her hair was dyed. Her lips were painted a bright bubblegum pink, and her cheeks had more color. She was wearing a vibrant plum colored dress with what should have been illegal cuts in the back (he often couldn’t help himself from touching her back when they were waking when she wore things like that). Her hair was pulled back into a no - nonsense ponytail and she had ombré frames glasses to complete her look. 

Oliver had reinforced deeply with the I.T. supervisor that Felicity would be returning to her job despite her leave of absence. He of course, had argued (as much as he could with the CEO), but Oliver had politely reminded him that he had used Felicity’s work without giving her the credit that she had earned. And that copyright infringement could cost him a huge fine. To which he had flushed angrily, but shut his mouth smartly. 

Damn. What was he going to say? He had just wanted to see her small face, hear her soft voice. _Shit_. 

He cleared his throat. “I - uhhh, do you need help running searches?” 

Diggle snorted loudly and Roy full out laughed. Oliver felt his cheeks heat up as he glanced sheepishly up at her. Felicity was wearing an amused look before she said; “Sure. Come here and I’ll show you how it’s done”.

Roy guffawed unhelpfully. “ _Oliver_? Help you with the searches? Oliver can barely work the his phone into making calls, much less running searches. Jeez, Blondie. Your computers may not make it out alive of this one”.

Oliver glared before saying; “Why don’t you go slap some water, Roy? Before I slap you”, Was added under his breath. 

Felicity scolded him, slapping his chest playfully. “Don’t be mean, Oliver. And Roy -“, She rounded on the boy, “Don’t be rude. I think it’s admirable that Oliver is trying to learn how to work the computers”. 

“Oh, he’s trying to learn more than how to work the computers”, Roy smirked knowingly in his mentor’s direction. Oliver couldn’t tell what he was going to do first; die from embarrassment or punching out Roy’s lights. Maybe he’d punch Roy first and then die. It seemed like the proper thing to do. 

“Come on, kid”, Said Diggle. “Let the two of them figure out how they’re going to miraculously teach Oliver skills”. More quietly he said, “Don’t rock the boat. They’re too fragile. At least don’t rock it in front of Felicity”. He turned his head back to wink at them before leading Roy up and out of the Foundry and into the main floor of the club. 

As soon as the Foundry door had clunked shut, Felicity turned to face the emerald archer, a positively mischievous look adorning her features. Oliver held his breath, knowing that no matter what she asked for he’d do. It was a dangerous game to play, but it was worth it. Especially when he got to see her light up brighter than the tiny millions of stars that were up in the sky. 

She wiggled her fingers at him playfully. “So, Oliver. Are you ready?”

“Completely”, He heard himself squeak out. 

She offered him a gentle smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on you. And by the end you’ll be ready to use these bad boys by themselves. I promise”. 

_~ 32 minutes and 46 seconds later_ ~

“OLIVER. STEP AWAY. STEP AWAY FROM MY BABIES OR I SWEAR TO EVERY TECHNOLOGICAL DEITY ABOVE I WILL PULVERIZE YOU WITH YOUR OWN ARROW”. Felicity was fuming, her eyes blazing and cheeks red as her computers emitted smoke and Oliver backed away with a sheepish look on his face. “I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS. I LET YOU TOUCH MY THINGS FOR HALF AN HOUR AND THEY’RE IMPLODING”. And then she stopped to take a deep breath. “and I didn’t mean that in a sexual way like you fingering me or anything -“

Oliver choked at the image that came to mind .

“- and sorry, Freudian slips seem to get the best of me, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN OLIVER JONAS QUEEN. DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS TO TURN YOUR MESOZOIC ERA LEVEL SYSTEMS INTO SOMETHING PAST MODERN DAY MODELS? DO YOU?”

Oliver opened his mouth to probably make things worse before Felicity was poking him in the chest with a sunshine painted nail. “NO. YOU DON’T. SO STEP AWAY”. Oliver held up his hands placatingly. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“Well, yes, actually”. Yeah Felicity nodded for him to continue. “Well. I’d like to say that for starters, I didn’t pay attention to any science or history class in school, so I definitely don’t know what the Mesozoic era is, and whatever it is, I’m pretty sure computers weren’t invented then. And second, I don’t remember telling you my middle name” He couldn’t help but tease her despite knowing he was digging himself a deeper hole. 

Felicity took a few deep breaths before massaging her temple with her left hand. “If you ever come near my computers again I’ll -“

“You’ll what?” Oliver stepped into her space confidently and suddenly. He towered over her - not in an intimidating way, but in a way that had her blood boiling and her fingers tingling. His blue eyes had darkened considerably, his pupils barely showing and his breaths coming out heavier. Felicity felt herself shiver at his proximity and the way she could feel the heat radiating off of him in waves. He was gazing at her so... intimately that Felicity felt naked. Felicity licked her lips and watched as Oliver’s eyes immediately dropped down. 

“ _Oliver_...”, She whispered, feeling her gut coil tight when he wrapped his arm snuggly around his waist. She placed her hands against his chest, unsure of whether she should push him away or pull him closer. As she bit down hard on her bottom lip, Oliver’s free hand came up to swipe it out. 

“Don’t do that”, Oliver said, his voice abnormally rough. His fingers lingered on her lips, lightly brushing over them making her gasp. 

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself”, He answered. The gravel in his voice was enough to make her heart pound. Just as she was about to grab him by the collar of his shirt and make do (and by make do - she really meant make out), the alarm beeping from the Foundry door sounded out. Oliver practically flew away from her before Roy’s loud footsteps pranced down the stairs. 

She knew she was still red, as was Oliver although he looked stoic. Still, Roy picked up on the thick tension the second he saw them. Cautiously he narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on here?” He pointed a finger at the two of them. 

“Nothing!” They said in unison. Even to their own ears, it sounded supremely guilty. Which was odd. Because they hadn’t done anything to feel guilty about. It’s not like Felicity had followed her impulse to see how rip - resistant his shirt was. And it wasn’t like Oliver had followed his impulse to learn how fast her lips would get swollen if he pressed his own against hers for long periods of time as they moved in synchronization. 

Not to, you know, kiss or anything. Just to check. For scientific purposes of course. 

It would be crazy if Oliver was already thinking these inappropriate thoughts after only two weeks of knowing her for real. 

Absolutely. 

Ridiculous. 

“Uh huh”, Roy mused in clear lack of belief. He stared at them for a moment longer before saying, “Look I know all about UST”. 

“What the hell is UST?” Oliver questioned. 

“Unresolved sexual tension”, Felicity answered. “Which we don’t have. At all”. 

Roy snorted loudly. “Okay, whatever let’s you sleep at night, Blondie. Just -“, He shook his head. “Just keep it out of the lair. If you guys need to go bang for the next few hours I totally understand”. He completely ignored Felicity’s scandalized _Roy!_ in favor of talking over her. “In fact, Oliver, you have silk sheets and satin pillows. That seems like a great place for you to get it all out of your system”. At Oliver’s pointed scowl and Felicity’s murderous glare, he winked annoyingly, clearly pleased with himself for getting on their nerves. “I think I’ll take my leave while your clothes are still on. Have fun, guys!” 

And like a total hurricane, Roy was gone leaving them in their burst bubble. 

Felicity didn’t even glance back at Oliver before she was grabbing her purse with her phone in it and hurrying up the steps and away from Verdant. He didn’t make any move to stop her. Just as she was about to make it to her adorable, candy apple red Mini Cooper, a chloroform soaked cloth was covering her face and instantly neutralizing her. Her vision swam and black spots danced behind her eyelids. The last thing she saw was the too wide grin of Woodrow before everything went dark. 

—><—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I’ve come to the realization that I literally have no schedule whatsoever. It’s 5:24 AM as I type this and I’m posting it directly after so I hope you guys like it because I stayed up all night perfecting it. I hope everyone’s staying at home due to COVID - 19. Stay safe, please! These are tough times for all of us but we can stick it out! I promise! It really is missing Arrow hours. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Don’t forget to comment and leave kudos!  
> Happy reading as always :)


	5. In a Flash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! I know you guys saw a chapter five was up and started reading -- which was a complete mistake on my part, it was unintentional. I accidentally clicked post when I shouldn't have, and the chapter wasn't even finished. I have to admit, I didn't even notice until messages started flooding my email telling me about kudos and comments. I'm so sorry -- that was literally just the first draft and it was horrible and I'm sorry you had to go through it. I was trying to write that chapter out and was having a bit of a problem and as you can see, in my haste I posted it. So please -- ignore everything in that horrible less than a chapter thingy. Whatever happened in that chapter has now been trashed and revised and will have no impact on what you're going to read. I'm so embarrassed. I'm truly sorry. Anyways! This is the much awaited and much revised chapter . I hope you guys like it!  
> Happy reading! :)

The world is insanely large again.

It's the first thing she thinks to herself when she comes to, and her little head is pounding like bullets are ricocheting off the inside walls. 

The second thing she thinks to herself is how weird it is that she feels more comfortable in her kitten form than her adult form - despite her lack of vision. It's as blurry as it is dark, so it's not surprising that she can't make anything out from her viewpoint on the floor. She's in a cage, which she thinks is ridiculous because that didn't bode well for anyone last time. 

Still, her haughty attitude she displays is only a cover for how truly terrified she is. She knows -- knows who took her, no questions asked. 

Felicity wonders how much time has passed since she went missing - has the team realized that she's gone yet? Are they looking for her? Or have they just ruled it out as her being oddly radio silent? It's impossible to tell the time of day when the shutters are closed and no light seeps in whatsoever - whether it be from nightfall or lack of openings within the space she's in, she can't tell.

Woodrow must have learned his lesson though, because the bars are less spaced out than before. 

Felicity lifts a hesitant paw up to the iron metal of the poles, and bats at it, hoping with some stroke of luck, it'll budge.

It doesn't. The warehouse seems to empty, save for a few other animals. Her ears prick up, and she can hear the muffled cries of a neighboring dog, and the steady rhythm of clanking on the metal pipes, almost as if the drainage doesn't work well. It doesn't help that the air seems to have a metallic tang to it, like copper and blood. 

Mewling softly through her calico mouth, she can only hope that her boys are coming for her.

\--><\--

"What the fuck is taking so long, Diggle?" Oliver snaps rudely at his partner whose sitting in the rolling chair in front of the monitors. The man in question is running searches and facial recognition softwares in hopes of pinging their blonde genius - who had disappeared off the face of the earth since the previous day. 

"I'm sorry I'm not Felicity, manning the computers." Diggle says just as rudely, his temper flying off the handle for the first time in ever. 

"Obviously not." Oliver crosses his arms. "If she were here then maybe we'd be getting somewhere."

"You want to try then?" Diggle snarls. "Be my guest." Roy watches nervously between the two, unsure if he should step in. Diggle and Oliver are his friends, sure, (okay, maybe Oliver was like his acquaintance) but that doesn't mean they can't knock him on his ass if they want to. He's still just training.

"Guys!" Roy blurts out, surprising both himself and the other two. "Let's not fight, okay? We don't have the time for it. Blondie might be in trouble and we can't afford to have pissing contests when her life is on the line." He holds his breath as Diggle and Oliver stare him down with glares. The boy in red is almost half sure that he'll limp out of here with yet _another_ arrow in his leg.

Perks of the job. 

He hopes his sigh of relief isn’t audible when their faces soften considerably. Mainly because he’s right.   
  
If Felicity were here she’d be trying to keep the peace. They needed all hands on deck. 

“I think we should check out the warehouse that Felicity had me to recon on.” Oliver mutters. “It seems likely that he would go back there.”

”I thought you said you weren’t able to do a full scope of the place.” Said Diggle.

"I wasn't", Oliver shrugs a bit impatiently, getting a little agitated that his partners don't see the need to move at full steam right now. Instead of discussing the matter, they should already be out there. "But it's our best bet. The trackers I placed on her led us to the parking lot, which she is as we can see, not there."

"That's not creepy at all." Roy mutters, who receives the emerald archer's 10 billion watt glare. 

"You won't be pleased to know that he has trackers on all of us," Diggle can't help but snort in amusement.

"What?" Roy asks scandalized. "Where?" Diggle looks on in pleasure as the young man starts to pat himself down for it.

"It's in the pocket of your hoodie. You never take it off so it seemed like an easy solution." Oliver answers irritably. It's almost like poking a bear.

Roy prods at the plastic square that's been sewn into the seam of his pocket. "I did not consent to this," is his weak argument.

"You did when you decided to join the team." Oliver corrects. "My first priority outside of saving my city is making sure my team is protected at all costs. Which means we need to get a move on so we can bring Felicity home." There's a pause as they all come to terms with the gravity of the situation. There's a chance that... Felicity isn't even alive anymore. But still, they have to make that effort.

"You shouldn't go charging into that warehouse guns blazing, Oliver." The ex - military man warns. "When your heads not in the game, the plan always goes off rails."

But no. Fuck that. They don't have time to scope out the warehouse. Not with Felicity's life hanging on line with that psychotic murderer. 

"Good thing I don't have a gun then." Oliver deadpans, uncaring of how ignorant he must sound. 

"Oliver." Diggle's tone is desperate now. "Be rational, man. If you don't plan this out then you might end up not only hurting yourself, but Felicity as well."

"She could be hurting right now, John." He argues. "Woodrow's sick! He could be slicing and dicing right now for all we know! We can't be taking those chances. We don't even know what he does to the animals that escape."

"Don't say that!" Diggle pleads. "We have to believe she's okay, or we're going to drive ourselves crazy."

Oliver sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look," He tries as calmly as possible. "Let's just go. There's no way the three of us can't take him down."

"Yeah, unless he turns us into three little golden retrievers." Roy quips realistically. When the two men turn to stare at him incredulously, he can only shrug. "What? It's true. He could do it. Maybe our best course of option would be to call in Team Flash."

"Do you know how long it would take for Barry to get here?" Oliver asks.

"He's the freakin Flash." Roy throws up his hands in disbelief. "It would take him like three minutes tops to get to Starling. And another second or two to drop us all to the warehouse. Which is less time than it would take us to hop on our bikes and get there."

Diggle's head swivels to look at Oliver expectantly as if to say; _what you gonna do now?_

Oliver huffs in displeasure. "Barry's always late." He says lamely, as if it's supposed to prove that Team Flash shouldn't show up. 

"What do you have against Team Flash?" Roy asks, a knowing smirk lighting his face up. Oliver is tempted to clock him in the face but -

"Obviously he doesn't want Felicity and Barry getting too friendly." Diggle says, making Oliver think that he should be redirecting his fist towards him instead. 

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Oliver's blue eyes flash. 

"Uh huh. Sure."

"I don't!"

"Either way," Oliver breaks it up, "I say we stick to us three. Too many unknown variables make the situation a lot more dangerous."

"Dear god," Roy groans. "You're talking as if this whole mission isn't an unknown variable."

"I'm calling Barry." Diggle said. "And you can't stop me. You're outnumbered here."

"I'm practically team leader!" The billionare protests. 

"Oh, should I tell Felicity you said that?" Roy asks smugly. "Because all I hear these days is you preaching partnership and equal standing to her."

Oliver hisses, his fingers twitching by his sides. "I- Fine!" He snaps. "Call Barry. But -" He points at Diggle. "Don't expect me to hold your hair when you throw up from his fast running. 

"Diggle doesn't have long hair." Roy says.

"Point." Diggle agrees, his biceps bulging as he crosses his arms. 

"I hate both of you." Oliver mutters.

"No, you love us!" Roy corrects.

"Yeah, well, stay away from my sister!"

\--><\--

Barry is late. It's something that Oliver can't help but point out when they're all huddled togehter on the roof of the nearest building to the warehouse. Roy is still in his red hoodie, Cisco having not finished his red and black leather - kevlar suit. Diggle is in his standar leather jacket and black combat pants, and Oliver is standing there with his mask in place underneath his green house, itching to go in there and wallop Woodrow. 

"Cisco pulled up footage from last night, and said that Woodrow was last seen with a blonde coming in by the alleyway exit." Barry says, his finger pressed to the comm link in his ear that keeps him connected to Caitlin and Cisco. His suit looks abnormally tight, Oliver has no idea how he's even able to move. 

"So this is definitely the place."

"Yup. I'm gonna do a quick runaround." Barry said.

He zips off then, a trail of yellow and orange lightning trailing behind his speedy figure. Diggle stares after the sparks. his eyes widening almost comically.

"Doesn't that freak you out?" He splutters to Oliver and Roy. 

Oliver decides that this doesn't dignify a response, and instead pulls out an arrow from his quiver and nocking it. "I'm going down there. The line pulls from the tip and shaft as he releases the arrow through his fingers. As soon as the arrow is embedded in the tree bark, he's ziplining himself down.

Diggle and Roy follow shortly, and Barry is already there. "I see Felicity, and there's a lot of other animals in there too. She's in kitten form again."

"Is she hurt? Bleeding? Scratched or anything?" Oliver demands, his voice extremely gruff under the modulator. 

"She looks relatively unharmed to me. But.. ah.." Barry turns a little green under his cowel. "There's a spliced open rabbit on the operating table. Just a heads up in case you're a little squeamish."

"You're looking a little squeamish, yourself." Roy notes.

Barry hums back, his eyes closed like he can feel a headache coming on.

"Try phasing through the door. So that way you can unlock it from the inside." Diggle suggests.

Barry steps in front of the door, and begins to vibrate his hand through the lock. The way his hand is barely there one moment and in sight another makes Oliver feel a little queasy, but when the lock breaks open, he knows it's worth it. The emerald archer takes it upon himself to bust the door open with his foot. And then all hell breaks loose.

\--><\--

Woodrow is just finishing up with the rabbit when Felicity hears muted voices coming from outside the warehouse. 

The psychopath is too invested in the task in front of him to notice, but it gives Felicity hope because she can vaguely make out the deep timber that is Oliver's voice when he's using the modulator. 

She knew he would come for her.

That they all would. 

Still, she jumps when the door flies off it's hinges and four figures emerge through the hole in the wall. Woodrow's looking up, a sneer overtaking his figures.

Diggle is cocking his gun, and Oliver is nocking his bow, and Woodrow is aiming his hand at them, no doubt trying to turn them into little furry and adorable creatures (and really, Felicity doesn't know how anyone could ever want to intentionally hurt something as cute as a puppy but-). But Barry's there and he's running and he's doing that thing where he runs around super fast before throwing a lightning bolt and he's throwing it and - oh. 

Now he's a hamster. Well. That did not go according to plan at all. Felicity hears herself meow in confusion, as Barry's gray hamster form rushes towards her after bleeting in panic. The lightning bolt crashes into the metal gurney, lightning the room up in flames. The floor is slick with animal blood, and it’s a whole chase as they slide over the wetness. The tools and contraptions on the gurney are dumped onto the floor as arrows and bullets and streaks of light are thrown back and forth. 

Oliver, Roy, and Diggle shout profanities, and Woodrow is backing up, still throwing blue streaks of light at them. Barry slips his small body through the bars and greets Felicity in a strange squeak. 

"What... the... HELL?" Roy yells. "The Flash is a freakin hamster! He was like our only advanatage."

If Felicity were human, she'd be yelling at him right now. Because way to give away their positions.

"Shut up, Arsenal!" Oliver barks as he fires off another arrow at Woodrow. He dodges, and throws back a streak of light at Oliver, narrowly missing. 

Felicity isn't even sure what Roy is doing, because he hasn't been training enough to properly use his bow. But even then, she has to admit he's doing a good job firing off his arrows, even if they are slightly wobbly while in the air. 

Diggle shoots, and she barely sees the bullet make it's mark, but then Woodrow's legs are buckling and he's hitting the ground with an agonized groan.

Felicity is not one for revenge but she can't help but think he deserves worse for his multiple accounts of animal cruelty. A bullet to the leg seems almost like an easy way out. 

Woodrow is scrunched in a ball on the floor, his skin glistening with perspiration. He's clutching his wound, and Oliver and Roy are moving towards him. The emerald archer fires a binding arrow, effectively tying him together. 

Oliver takings a menacing step in his direction, and Woodrow is holding a hand up.

"Don't hurt me!" Woodrow pleads, his eyes wide and manic. "I'll do anything!"

"Turn them back." Oliver growls, motioning to the rows of animals behind them with a green glove. "I want every single one of them turnt back into humans."

"I -" He trembles against the wall.

"NOW!" Oliver snarls. 

Woodrow whimpers before lifting a shaky hand. He takes aim at the cages, and a white flash hits each of the animals.

One by one, the animals begin to transform into their human counterparts. When Felicity and Barry turn back, Oliver sighs in relief before motioning to Diggle, who nods back and then clocks Woodrow in the head, knocking him out. 

And then he hears Roy. "Felicity and Barry are both naked." He says rather bluntly.

"WHAT?" Oliver whips around so fast he's afraid his neck will crack. And then he realizes- oh, yes, it'll make sense that they're both naked. In fact, there are roughly seven other people that are also naked. All of whom are shivering and looking slightly traumatized. 

Barry looks around embarrassed, a flush creeping up on his cheeks from his lack of clothes. "I'm going to go... get some clothes for everyone." And then he's off, lightning zipping behind him, the other people silent in awe and terror. 

But Oliver... Oliver only has eyes for Felicity. He keeps his eyes respectfully on her face, but the relief is evident on both of their faces. 

"Oliver," The blonde breathes out, her arms crossed over her chest in a protective manner. He's moving to her then, already zipping off his green leather jacket to throw over her small frame. He can only hope his mask is enough to hide his identity, although if he's really being honest, it's the last thing on his mind. 

The jacket enfluges her body entirely, and it falls past her knees so innocently that Oliver just wants to melt in her arms and fall asleep in her warmth. 

"Are you okay?" He asks softly, pressing the little button on his chest to turn off the modulator. 

"I'm fine," She says shakily.

"Did he hurt you?" Oliver takes her hand, running his thumb over the back of her hand. 

"No." Felicity promises. She glances around, only to see the other victims and Diggle and Roy staring at them. "We'll talk later, yeah?"

"Yeah." He agrees readily. 

Barry returns then, a gust of wind flying in after him, and he's back in his Flash suit (thank god). There's a pile of clothes in his hands, and he begins handing them out to the other people.

"I called the police." His voice sounds a bit distorted. "They should be on their way soon to take statements and take care of the ones affected.

"Thank you, Flash." Oliver says, holding out a hand gratefully. "We couldn't have done it without you."

"I turned into a hamster." Barry says with a smile, but he's taking Oliver's hand anyways and shaking it before pulling him into a hug.

"You know I don't like hugs." Oliver grumbles as Barry clamps his arms around him. 

"I don't care." Then he's turning to Diggle and Roy, shaking their hands. And then he's hugging Felicity. "Call me whenever you need, Lis." He says with a huge grin. 

"She won't." Oliver steps in. Barry only smiles knowingly.

Ignoring Oliver's grumpiness, she takes a hold of Barry's hand. "Thank you, Flash. We'll see you soon."

"Soon." The scarlet speedster agrees. Then he's gone.

\--><\--

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I will be updating We Held On So Tight but for now I needed something new and this is it. Hope you guys like it. This is part one of a five chapter fic.


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